Gaza conflict: Kids hurt in Israel-Hamas war head to Chicago airport for vital medical care

CHICAGO (WLS) — Children from Gaza have traveled a long way to Chicago seeking life-saving treatment. A group of eight boys and girls, aged between 2 and 17, arrived at O’Hare airport on Monday after being injured in the war in Gaza.

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Their arrival in the city is a rare opportunity for hope.

They arrived in Chicago after the nearly 14-hour flight from Amman, Jordan, and were welcomed by dozens of Palestinians at the airport gate.

Tareq Hailat from the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund expressed his astonishment at the trauma these children face daily. He emphasized that while these eight children have made it to Chicago, there are thousands more in need of urgent medical attention.

These children have fled the violent conflict in Gaza to seek specialized medical care after sustaining serious injuries from bombing incidents. Many of them have undergone amputations. They have left their families in the Middle East and are now under the care of host families in the United States.

Some signs said “welcome” in Arabic.

“From where they’re coming from, this is heaven to them. The support they get from Chicago, everybody puts their hands in,” said Belal Muhammad, who is part of a host family.

PCRF arranged for the trip, which included finding medical specialists to do the life-saving surgeries, financing flights and arranging for host families.

“They get prosthesis, physical therapy, the mental health, anything else that needs attention. We will take care of that,” pediatric dentist Dr. Sahar Alrayyes said.

Two of the children will remain in Chicago for their medical treatment. The others are going to other states, including Missouri, South Carolina and Kentucky.

They are all expected to be in the U.S. for several weeks while they rehab and recover.